MOMA Employees Among Workers Stabbed by Customers this Week

New York, NY (WorkersCompensation.com) – Two Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) employees were among a number of workers stabbed by customers across the country this past week. 

According to the New York Police Department, the two MOMA employees were working Saturday at the museum when they were approached by Gary Cabana, 60. When the two told Cabana that his membership had been rescinded, he attacked the employees, stabbing a 24-year-old woman in the back and neck, and stabbing the 24-year-old man in the left collar bone. 

The two were listed in stable condition at Bellevue Hospital on Sunday, the police said. 

In video released by the police, the man pushes his way through a revolving door and climbs across a wooden counter with a knife in his hand. Cabana then corners three employees before stumbling into a wall. With the employees hiding under a desk, Cabana starts swinging the knife at employees and stabbing them. He then grabs one worker and thrusts his knife into the worker’s torso, before releasing him. Another worker then manages to run past Cabana while bystanders throw items at him. 

John Miller, the deputy commissioner for the Police Department’s Intelligence and Counterterrorism Bureaus, said Cabana’s membership had been revoked due to two incidents involving disorderly conduct at the museum. The attacker was denied entry, he became “upset,” and then “proceeded to attack and stab two employees of the museum multiple times,” he said. 

On March 10 in East Harlem, a 31-year-old McDonald’s worker was stabbed in the chest, neck and arm as he tried to break up a dispute among his co-workers. 

According to the NYPD, a man entered the McDonald’s restaurant around 12:45 a.m. and tried to place an order with the cashier before going to a kiosk to place his order. Police said shortly later, the customer went back to the counter where he began an argument with the cashier. 

It was then that the victim tried to intervene, coming out of the kitchen with a stick to break up the confrontation. Instead, the victim was attacked with a box cutter numerous times, police said, leaving a trail of blood from the counter all the way to the lobby.  

As of last week, the worker was in a coma. McDonald’s released a statement saying it was “shocked and dismayed by this senseless and unprovoked attack on one of our employees.” 

“The safety of our employees and customers is our top priority,” the statement from Bruce Colley, the store’s owner/operator said. “We will continue cooperating with the NYPD and supporting our colleague and friend as they recover.” 

The incident happened just blocks from where a 19-year-old Burger King cashier was shot and killed, allegedly by a former worker, earlier this year. 

In Fresno, California, an off-duty employee was stabbed outside of the AutoZone where he worked when he tried to intervene in a possible shoplifting incident on Saturday afternoon. 

According to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, the employee was visiting his co-workers on Saturday around 3:15 p.m. when he thought he saw a theft in progress. 

Sgt. Jeff Hooper said no details were given about what was allegedly taken. 

The employee saw the two suspects leave the store and pursued them, Hooper said. When he followed them, a fight ensued and one of the suspects stabbed the worker. The victim was taken to Community Regional Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries, Hooper said. 

Hooper said they didn’t have any additional description of the suspects, but law enforcement was canvassing the area for video surveillance. Hooper also warned individuals not to intervene in incidents like these because they can turn dangerous.

“This is a perfect example of that,” he said. “We don’t necessarily encourage the public to get involved in that. We (would) rather them be a good witness on it. The items that were stolen in the store were just property. It’s not worth a life.” 

And on March 4 in Wichita Falls, Texas, a fight between two employees at a truck stop sent one to the hospital for emergency surgery. 

Police said they were called to the Flying J Travel Center on Jacksboro Highway about an assault. They found an argument between two employees had resulted in a male employee stabbing a 44-year-old female employee in the upper part of the body. 

The victim was transported to United Regional for surgery.  

Police said the suspect, Dillion Venegas, 30, left in a white SUV. Venegas has several prior assault arrests, they said.

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